Process of preserving fish.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JUDSON D. YOUNG, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TOHOWARD B.

RITGHIE, OF HYDE PARK, MASSACHUSETTS.

PROCESS OF PRESERVING FISH.

Application led February 17, 1908.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, JUDsON Seattle, in the county of King and State ofvWashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements infrocesses of Preserving Ilish, of which the' following is aspecification.

The object of the process which I claim as my invention is to produce animproved food .product put upon the market hermeticallysealed and readyfor immediate use, the product being an integral mass out withoutsubdivision or disintegration from meat of a halibut or other fish suchas cod or haddock and characterized by a condition of firmness anddensity which is greater than that of the corresponding portion of thelive fish, the product being so iirm and solid that it is :ulapted to beremoved as a solid mass from the can without losing its shape.I-Ieretofore canned halibut and other fish have always beencharacterized by a mushy or semifluid condition which detractsmaterially from its attractiveness and desirability as an article offood.

My invention consists in the process or method of preserving fishsubstantially as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings which illustrate some of the steps of myimproved process, Figure l represents a side view of a fragment orportion of the edible part of a halibut, showing the method of cuttingthe saine into masses for subsequent treatment and canning. Fig. 2represents a perspective view of one of the masses cut from the portionshown in Fig. l. lfig. 3 represents a section online 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig.l repre sents in section the mass shown in Figs. 2 and 3, after the samehas been contracted and canned.

The saine letters of reference indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

In carrying out my i vention as applied to halibut, I first flitch thebody of a fresh halibut by severing the same longitudinally to removetwo slabs from opposite sides of the backbone and fins, a portion of oneof these slabs being shown in Fig. 1, this portion consisting Wholly ofedible boneless halibut meat, the fibers of which are unchanged as totheir relative positions, so as to have the same association as in thelive fish. I then by suitable cutters subdivide the slab into masses oa, the cutters being preferably Speccation of Letters Patent.

. YOUNG, of l form.

Patented May 11, 1909.

Serial No. 416,198.

j circular so that the mass a is of cylindrical The masses thus producedare pref-l erably subjected to a pickling o eration which may beconducted as usua inthe pickling of fish, the object of the picklingbeing to impart a slight salty flavor. The quantity of salt in thepickle is not, however, sufiicient to have any preservative effect, orto require freshening of the product to make it ialatable. The pickledmasses are then, subjected to the action of steam, before being placedin cans, preferably at a pressure of about sixty pounds, for a suitablelength of time, which may be greater or less according to the size ofthe mass, the object of the steaming operation being two fold, namely,to expel from the mass all the free water contained therein andcorrespondingly condense Or shrink the mass, and secondly, to completelyor partially cook the mass. steaming operation results in the shrinkageof the mass approximately to the extent indicated by the dotted lines inFig. 3, the meat being thus condensed and solidified so that it isadapted to retain its shape, its fibers retaining their originalassociation, without liability of separating and forming a mush. Themeat thus prepared is next inserted in a sheet metal can b formed toclosely fit the mass, care being taken to fill the'can with thecondensed and solidified meat, the can having a head b which is suitablyunited to the body of the can to form an airtight seam or joint. If themasses were placed in the cans before the steaming operation, theshrinkage due to said operation would prevent the existence of a closefit, which close fit is essential to prevent disintegration duringhandling and transportation. The can and its contents may besubsequently subjected to heat to additionally cook the contents ifdesired.

The canned product is practically fresh cooked lish, adapted to retainits shape and its characteristic firmness and density for a long periodwithout liability of becoming mushy or losing its firmness. The productis also adapted to be removed as a solid body from the can and cut intoslices or portions.

I find that halibut canned in accordance with my invention retains thedesirable white color of the meat, the color being unchanged by thesteps of the above-described process.

While I have referred particularly to hali- The the area of said piecesa predetermined amount, and inaiiy hermetieally sealing the pieces incans or packages which eioseiy t the condensed pieces.

In testimony whereof I have aIXed my 15 signature, in presence of twoWitnesses.

but, it is obvious that ood, haddoek and other fish may be treated inaccordance with my invention.

I claim:-

5 The method of preservingl ish Which consists in removing slabs fromthe body of the l ish, then cutting the mass transversely into JUDSON D.YOUNG. pieces of de'linite area in Cross-section, then v/v'vitnesses:

subjecting the pieces to steam of sufeientiy C. F. BROWN,

1e high temperature to expel Water and reduce P. W. PEZZETTI.

